general business data bank

Scenario A. Naturally Yours, Inc. is a new brand of organic clothing recently introduced throughout the world. The company is unique in that it has collaborated with its suppliers and largest potential customers to bring the clothing to market. The concept has been a huge success as the idea of sustainability is becoming more "main stream" especially in developed countries. The quick growth in sales has lead Naomi and Yolanda, the company founders, to look to your consulting company for help in assuring the future success of the company.

121. Naomi and Yolanda want to maintain a strong competitive advantage in the organic clothing industry. They have consulted with you and have decided to maintain their current direction of continuing to produce new items targeted to new markets, such as children's clothing, in addition to the women's clothing items that were originally designed and produced by the company. Given the information in this scenario, which of the fundamental success drivers are they most likely using?
A. Planning
B. Innovation
C. Quality
D. Organizing
E. Cost competitiveness

122. Naomi and Yolanda have always focused on being efficient managers. What is the best advice you should give them, given the quick success they have had with Naturally Yours and the information provided in the scenario?
A. Efficiency is the only key to their continued success.
B. Now it is time for them to consider only effectiveness, since they clearly have efficiency under control and this is not likely to change in the future.
C. To continue their success they should maintain a clear focus on both effectiveness and efficiency especially while their company is experiencing such a high growth in sales.
D. Now would be the perfect time to buy beautiful homes for their families since they have earned it.
E. As the top-level managers the best action plan for them is to carefully design the new items to assure these items are well accepted by the target consumers.

123. As the founders of the company, Naomi and Yolanda are best described as
A. tactical managers.
B. strategic managers.
C. middle-managers.
D. external managers.
E. internal managers.

124. When hiring people who are beginning their management career and who will join Naturally Yours as entry-level supervisors to oversee the design and production of their clothing lines, Naomi and Yolanda should look primarily for which type of skills in these managers?
A. Conceptual and decision skills
B. Monitoring skills
C. Language fluency
D. Technical skills
E. Negotiating skills

Scenario B. Suppose you are interviewing the CEO of a large company. The CEO is telling you about his/her job as a manager and how he/she spends time. Using the descriptions below, which function of management is the CEO most likely describing in each of the examples?

125. "Recently, I spent a great deal of time looking at how to define jobs and group jobs together to most efficiently utilize the employees in those jobs. Other times, my focus is more towards financial resources."
A. Planning
B. Organizing
C. Leading
D. Controlling
E. Decision making

126. "My days are filled with opportunities to ask if we are meeting our goals, wondering if things are going as we planned and making adjustments where needed."
A. Planning
B. Organizing
C. Leading
D. Controlling
E. Decision making

127. "My job, for some part of each day is to empower our employees to think of things in new and different ways, not just to come to work and complete the tasks on a list."
A. Planning
B. Organizing
C. Leading
D. Controlling
E. Decision making

128. "Every six months or so my senior management team and I meet to discuss the goals that will be achieved over the next year, three years, and beyond. We then make sure we are clear on who will take responsibility to see that the appropriate actions are undertaken to achieve our goals within the time frame we set."
A. Planning
B. Organizing
C. Leading
D. Controlling
E. Decision making

Scenario C. As a management researcher, you are studying management behaviors and the roles that managers play. Your field work takes you to Puffy Treats, a local cream puff bakery in your university's city, to "shadow" the manager for a day. At the end of the day, there are three events that really caught your attention. First, at an early meeting with the Puffy Treats employees, the manager notified the employees of a pending lay-off. This news was met with a great deal of anxiety on the part of the employees even though the manager was as kind as she could be when delivering the news. One employee reacted very angrily and became so disruptive that the manager had to call the local police to have her escorted out of the shop. Later in the day, the manager made a call to a supplier to find out if anything "new and interesting" was going on in the bakery industry. Finally, after work, the manager left to attend an employee's wedding.

129. When the manager notifies the employees of the pending layoff, which of the roles described by Mintzberg is the manager of Puffy Treats performing?
A. Leader
B. Liaison
C. Disseminator
D. Spokesperson
E. Disturbance handler

130. When the manager deals with the angry employee, which of the roles described by Mintzberg is the manager of Puffy Treats performing?
A. Monitor
B. Negotiator
C. Disturbance handler
D. Resource allocator
E. Liaison

131. When the manager attends the employee's wedding, which of the roles described by Mintzberg is the manager of Puffy Treats performing?
A. Liaison
B. Figurehead
C. spokesperson
D. Entrepreneur
E. Disturbance handler